UT basketball: Pivotal week for Longhorns?

Despite a Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) ranking of No. 61 and only one victory over a Top 50 opponent so far this season, Texas remains in the running for a berth in the NCAA tournament. ESPN.com’s Joe Lunardi projects the Longhorns to be a No. 10 seed in his latest version of Bracketology, in what perhaps is a sign of the overall weakness of national postseason resumes.

But simply playing in one of the nation’s highest-rated conferences isn’t enough. The Longhorns eventually need to start beating some elite opponents, and this week gives them that opportunity. They play at Kansas State (No. 25 in the AP poll, No. 30 in the RPI) on Wednesday, and host Kansas (No. 7 in the AP poll, No. 20 in the RPI) on Saturday.

Do they have a shot against either team? Another spectacular performance from J’Covan Brown — who scored 34 points at Missouri on Saturday — would be a good start, but Brown continues to hobble around on an injured ankle. After losing to the Tigers, Brown said he receives treatment for the injury three times per day, and that the ankle is only at “70 percent.”

“You know what? He’s living,” Barnes said. “I don’t make a big deal about injuries. If he can’t play, he can’t play. Bottom line is, I don’t think players ought to talk about it. When players are talking about things like that, they are going to have a built-in excuse when things don’t go well. I think you go out and play the game. I wouldn’t tell anybody I was hurt. I wouldn’t give anybody an advantage.”